Amadou Bakayoko Set to Complete Bristol Rovers Switch

5:52 pmSaturday, 4 August 2018

Walsall manager Dean Keates has confirmed that the club has accepted a bid for Amadou Bakayoko, who recently saw his stay at the club extended for a further year, with the striker set to complete a permanent switch to the Saddlers League One rivals, Bristol Rovers, on Monday.

22-year-old Sierra Leone-born Bakayoko, who has is likely to depart for a fee in the region of £150,000 - £200,000, is a product of the Saddlers' youth system having joined the club as a scholar in his mid-teens, before going on to earn a professional contract in 2013.

Amadou, who also enjoyed loan spells with Southport, AFC Telford United, and Worcester City during his time at the club, scored a hat-trick on his full Saddlers debut - a 5-2 Checkatrade Trophy victory over Grimsby Town in August 2016 - and went on to plunder a further seven goals that campaign

Bakayoko, who was also said to be on Coventry City's list of potential targets, made just over one-hundred first-team appearances over the last four-and-a-half seasons with the club, bagging just eighteen goals.

The striker, who has struggled to find consistent form over recent seasons, was the subject of a bid from Accrington Stanley earlier this transfer window, but the newly promoted League One side failed to meet the Saddlers' valuation.

Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke had hoped to sign Bakayoko before Friday's registration deadline but was unable to get the deal over the line thanks to an issue scheduling the forward's medical.

Saddlers boss Keates, who was speaking via the Express & Star after his side had defeated Plymouth Argyle in their season-opening Sky Bet League One fixture of the season, refused to name the club but did confirm a fee had been agreed, he said; "We’ve had an offer for him as a club - we’ve accepted it and given him permission to go to speak to the team."We will know more in the next few days. As it stands, he’s our player. If he doesn’t get what he wants and he can’t agree terms with the other club, he will be back with us. We’ve had a few tentative calls regarding him and an offer the other week that was nowhere near what we wanted and we turned it down."